Niche and confidences
Niche and confidences
Niche perfumery moves centre stage
As Esxence, the niche perfumery fair, prepares to open its doors in Milan from 15 to 18 June 2022, Nez caught up with a number of figures from the world of niche fragrances, in a series of interviews with perfumers, stores and brands. But, putting common misapprehensions aside, what lies behind the term that is as much overused as it is decried?
Agnieszka Lukasik (Galilu): “Now, the brands come to us”
Founded in Warsaw in 2005, Galilu offers a rich selection of about fifty niche perfume and cosmetic brands. Its owner, Agnieszka Lukasik, answered Nez’ questions.
Murat Katran and Mert Guzel (Nishane): “Istanbul is literally a bridge between cultures”
Officially launched in Esxcence in 2015, the Turkish brand Nishane, born in Istanbul three years before, pays tribute to the roots, art and history of the city, half-way through West and Eastern traditions. Interview.
Luca Maffei (Atelier Fragranze Milano): “Niche perfumery allows me to take risks”
In 2011, Luca Maffei and his father founded the composition house Atelier Fragranze Milano (AFM). With French perfumer Antoine Lie acting as consultant, the company works exclusively with the niche sector. Interview.
Franco Wright (Luckyscent): “Ultimately customers see how the niche category pushes fragrance in more interesting directions”
After cofounding a design agency, Americans Franco Wright and Adam Eastwood came up in 2002
with the idea of creating Luckyscent, their own e-commerce site specialising in niche
fragrances. Interview.
Dhaher bin Dhaher (Tola): “I’m spending more and more of my time breaking down barriers between olfactory cultures”
With Tola, Dhaher bin Dhaher, a creative director and businessman fascinated by niche perfumery, revisits the Emirati olfactory heritage from a nuanced European standpoint. Interview.
Nathalie Feisthauer (LAB Scent): “For me, niche is a definition of beauty”
After more than thirty years working with some of the best-known composition houses, Nathalie Feisthauer chose to set up on her own in 2014, powerfully drawn to niche perfumery since it gives her a greater degree of creative freedom. Interview.
Liam Sardea (LKNU): “We try to guide each person to create their own constellation in this vast cosmos”
In 2021 independent perfumery LKNU opened its doors at a high-end mall in Melbourne. It offers a selection of around sixty brands and a resolutely different approach to sales and customer experience. Interview with Liam Sardea, education manager.
Clara Feder and Michel Gutsatz (Le Jardin retrouvé): “We’re trying to build a balanced collection while sticking to our motto: avant-garde as a legacy”
Founded in 1975, Le Jardin retrouvé is one of niche perfumery’s pioneer brands, fruit of the avant-garde vision of its creator Yuri Gutsatz. Clara Feder and Michel Gutsatz, who took over in 2016, bring a real passion to continuing the brand’s legacy.
Pissara Umavijani (Dusita): “The hardest thing for a perfumer is expressing your signature style in different registers”
Launched in Paris in 2014, Dusita is present in 60 countries around the world as a brand with a unique universe, rooted in the Thai culture of its founder. A collector of vintage fragrances turned self-taught perfumer, Pissara Umavijani pays tribute to her native country and her father’s poetry with a style nourished by European influences. Interview.
Cécile Zarokian: “It’s possible to compete successfully with the big fragrance houses”
Cécile Zarokian is an independent Paris-based perfumer who founded her own company and works with a wide range of brands, from South America to the Middle East and Europe. Interview.
Serge Laugier (Le Paravent): “It’s important to me to offer the more niche fragrances, because they always have a unique olfactory signature”
Although Le Paravent founder Serge Laugier originally saw the shop as a high-end decoration outlet, it has become a benchmark for niche perfumery in Lyon. Located in the city centre art gallery district, the shop is fully committed to an artistic and independent vision of olfactory creation. Interview.
Barbara Herman (Eris Parfums): “Whether consciously or not, with each new creation I tend to explore a very different path from the previous one”
Launched in 2016 by Barbara Herman, American writer and creator of the blog Yesterdaysperfume.com, Eris Parfums offers contemporary sillages with a bold style inspired by vintage fragrances, all created by independent perfumer Antoine Lie. Interview with the brand’s founder.
Karine Torrent, Floratropia: “In my view, 100% natural perfumery is the new niche”
When Karine Torrent founded Floratropia, her own brand, in 2019, she opted for 100% natural perfumes, both for artistic and ethical reasons. Interview.
Sylviane Lust (Beauty by Kroonen): “We choose complex fragrances that evolve on the skin, and that tell you the perfumer has been given a free hand”
Based in the Grand Sablon district in central Brussels, Beauty by Kroonen is a concept store featuring forty or so niche perfume brands alongside health and beauty products, all carefully chosen by founder Ioana and her team. We interviewed her colleague, Sylviane.
